August 1, 2017
Dear Columbus Academy Families,
The time has come, with the start of August, to begin to think about coming back to school -- and we are really ready to have you! Where last year there were unpainted walls, heads covered in hard hats and muddy quadrangles, we now have grass growing in all the right places and a campus fully prepared for our students to come bounding back to their fall home.
For those new families receiving this letter for the first time, we especially welcome you. We can't wait to formally begin the year with you, get to know who you are and all the wonderful talents and energy you will bring to our community. If you get involved early and often, we will be sure to reciprocate with plenty of thanks and appreciation.
In an effort for all of us to begin to get to know each other quickly, I have included the bios of our new faculty and staff. In addition are links to videos made of three new administrators on our campus. I hope you take the time, in the waning weeks, to read about the new members of our teaching community and see if you might have a commonality or two with them to help strike up a conversation in the first days of school.
NEW FACULTY & STAFF PROFILES
Columbus Academy's Lower School welcomes Angela Blinn as a third grade associate teacher working with Kirby Schuchter '03 and Donna Saide. Angi earned her B.S. in early childhood education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She was a first grade teacher at Maplewood Elementary in Indianapolis for four years and most recently a substitute teacher in the Gahanna-Jefferson School District.
Elizabeth Carmichael
joined Academy last fall as a long-term substitute teacher for Jeff Arndt in the Upper School. As Jeff joins the student support services team, Elizabeth continues her work as an upper school English teacher. Elizabeth began her teaching career through Teach for America in New York City at the High School of Graphic Communication Arts where she taught honors English, writing and literature and advanced placement English. She then taught at Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS), developing and implementing English III and an advanced placement English literature curriculum as well as partnering with StoryCorpsU to bring the program to 70 students. Elizabeth graduated from Lehman College, a senior college of The City University of New York, with an M.A. in secondary English education after earning her B.A. in English literature and sociology from Saint Francis University.
A native New Yorker, Deidre Hudson Clarke joins the Business Office as an accounting assistant. Deidre holds a B.S. in accounting from Brooklyn College, where she graduated magna cum laude. She has many years of experience in general accounting, financial statements and reporting, account analysis, account reconciliations, accounts payable and audit work papers, among other skills. Deidre began working at Columbus Academy in June after Terri Reed's responsibilities moved to the payroll and payables accountant position.
Presently a first-year doctoral student at Ohio State University, new middle school reading specialist Tamarah Davis received her B.A. in English from Hampton University and her M.Ed. from Boston College. She joins Columbus Academy after serving as head of the English department at the Institute of Applied Technology High School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and most recently as an eighth and ninth grade language arts teacher at Patriot Preparatory Academy, a K-12 public charter school. Before Dubai, Tamarah worked as an intervention specialist at Beechcroft High School in Columbus, a master teacher of English at Epiphany Middle School in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in various positions with Ohio Wesleyan Upward Bound Program and as a lead instructor at Antonelli College in Cincinnati.
Mark Hansen
began work in July as the Head of Lower School, having moved to Columbus from Copenhagen International School where he was the primary school principal. Over the course of his career, Mark has served as an elementary school teacher at Karen Acres Elementary School in Urbandale, Iowa, and at St. Mary's International School in Tokyo, Japan. He then was an upper school coordinator and middle school teacher at the American International School of Rotterdam in The Netherlands. Mark's headship experience began in Lithuania at the American International School of Vilnius where he was head of school. He has previously served as elementary principal at Northern Hills Elementary School in Onalaska, Wisconsin, and at Berlin Brandenburg International School in Kleinmachnow, Germany. Before moving to Copenhagen, Mark was head of the lower school at Sewickley Academy in Pennsylvania. Mark earned his B.A. in elementary education from the University of Northern Iowa and his M.A. in elementary administration from California State University, Northridge. Mark and his wife Debra bring two new Vikings with them -- Paul and Ellen. Their oldest son, Pieter, attends Grinnell College.
Dr. Alejandro Jacky
will teach upper school Spanish after over 13 years of university teaching experience. Alex received his B.A. in Spanish/English and his M.A. in Latin American literatures and cultures from the University of Houston. In addition, he was a lecturer of Spanish in the department of Spanish and Portuguese at Ohio State University where he also completed his Ph.D. in modern Latin American literatures and cultures. Alex then was a visiting assistant professor of language and culture studies in the Hispanic studies program at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Most recently, he moved to Columbus from Medford, Oregon, where he was a bilingual human services specialist with the Oregon Department of Human Services.
April Krabill
will teach sixth and seventh grade language arts after substitute teaching honors English and journalism production at Hilliard Darby High School. April taught English, honors American literature and American literature at Teays Valley Local Schools in Ashville, Ohio, where several times she was chosen as one of the most highly influential teachers by that district's highest achieving students. She has also taught at ACE Digital Academy in Circleville, Ohio, Worthington City Schools and Coventry High School. April earned her M.Ed. from Ohio State University after completing her B.A. in secondary education from the University of Akron.
Ohio Wesleyan University graduate Heather Levingston earned her B.A. cum laude in elementary education and later earned her M.A. in special education from Ohio State University. Heather joins the Lower School as a fifth grade reading specialist as well as a fourth and fifth grade mathematics specialist. She most recently working with students at Oakstone Academy as an intervention specialist and a home programming specialist.
Pascal Losambe
is our new upper school dean of students. A native of Congo, Pascal moved to the United States for his final two years of high school before attending Middlebury College where he played rugby and earned his B.A. in molecular biology and biochemistry. He earned his M.S. in biology at Boston College and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in educational leadership and administration at Purdue University. After earning his master's degree, Pascal became a science teacher and coached track and field at Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia. He joins Columbus Academy after his most recent positions at Canterbury School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was director of diversity, a science teacher and track coach as well as serving on the ISACS Equity and Justice Committee.
Also joining the Upper School as an interim mathematics teacher is Matt McCue. Coming from a 14-year career at University School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Matt's family has moved to Granville. Before teaching at University School, Matt was an instructor at Landmark College in Vermont where he served as part of a team charged with developing and executing a program to deliver executive functioning coaching to students with ADHD and other learning disabilities. Matt graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and Smith College School for Social Work with his M.S.W. Before teaching, Matt worked in social/human services and mental health centers in Massachusetts, New York and New Mexico.
Interim Head of Middle School Bob McGrath
began work at Columbus Academy on May 1. After graduating from College of the Holy Cross with a B.A. in American history and the University of Delaware with a M.Ed. in counseling, Bob spent a few years teaching different subjects at Holy Rosary School in Claymont, Delaware. He then taught mathematics at St. Edmond's Academy in Wilmington, Delaware, followed by a position teaching mathematics and science at Sanford School in Hocksessin, Delaware. Bob has since spent three decades as a division head in middle schools, namely the aforementioned Sanford School, Augusta Preparatory Day School in Augusta, Georgia, Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale and Gulliver Schools in Coral Gables, Florida.
For the past 13 years, Michael Stegemiller, Ph.D., has been an instructor at Ohio State University in the chemistry department. He now joins our Upper School as a chemistry teacher having earned his B.A. in chemistry from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and working as a laboratory technician at Celsus Laboratories, Inc. He completed his M.S. in chemistry and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Cincinnati.
HsiaoChing Yang joined Columbus Academy last fall as a long-term substitute teacher for Dr. Jeannine Subisak after teaching at the Columbus Chinese Academy (CCA) in Dublin, Ohio. She begins this school year as an upper school Chinese teacher. HsiaoChing earned her B.A. in Chinese literature from Tamkang University in Tamsui, Taiwan, and her M.A. in educational administration and Ph.D. in social studies and global education from Ohio State University.
Take care in the remaining weeks, and I look forward to welcoming you back on August 21.
Warmly,
Melissa
